ADSS enabled global roaming system

ABSTRACT

Described here is a wireless network management system and methods that may include the use of Authorized Device Specific SSIDs (ADSSs), Access Point Managers, Registries, and Wireless Enabled Devices (WEDs) for providing a roaming service. Systems described here may include access points which may establish connections with WEDs using suitable SSIDs and credentials, where WEDs may attempt to connect to access points broadcasting suitable SSIDs automatically when in range. Access point hardware of use in systems described in the present disclosure may be able to broadcast multiple SSIDs, publicly or hidden, and may form one or more virtual access points (VAPs) perceivable by WEDs in range of the access point. Multi-region access point systems described here include a registry used to store information about services associated with WEDs, and are able to return the information to Access Points in multiple regions to provide service to the WEDs.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This non-provisional patent application claims priority to U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 61/938,817, entitled “ADSS EnabledGlobal Roaming System,” filed Feb. 12, 2014, which is incorporatedherein in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates in general to wireless networking, andmore specifically to service roaming systems and methods.

BACKGROUND

Wireless Enabled Devices (WEDs) have seen increasingly widespread use inrecent years as consumers have shown a growing interest in accessingcontent wirelessly. Consumers may use phones, tablets, laptops, and manyother devices in a variety of environments and situations, and as thenumber of users may grow so may the challenges faced in providing asuitable service to each user.

Challenges faced when providing users service may include that of useraccess when users are away from their usual access points. As users maybecome used to using WEDs, they may desire or require the use of theirWEDS in areas they may not frequent. Often, the user may need to make arequest to a third party in order to access to the network, or may notbe able to access a network as they may have no account in the newregion.

Challenges faced by service providers while granting users networkaccess as they visit other regions may also include the need forestablishing protocols to identify and provide access to different userswhile maintaining a desired degree of network security.

The aforementioned challenges, amongst others, may hinder the effectiveuse of WEDs. There is, then, a continuing need for networking systemsand strategies able to provide solutions to one or more of thesechallenges.

SUMMARY

The systems and methods described herein address the above-discussedshortcomings in the art, and may provide a number of other features aswell. The systems and methods described herein are embodiments of awireless network management that make use of Authorized Device SpecificSSIDs (ADSSs), Access Point Managers, Registries, and Wireless EnabledDevices (WEDs) to provide roaming services.

In one embodiment, a computer-implemented method comprises broadcasting,by a wireless access point, a wireless signal containing a first publicSSID associated with the access point; receiving, by the access point, aconnection request from a wireless device, the connection requestcontaining a wireless identifier associated with the wireless device;querying, by the access point, a registry database using the wirelessidentifier associated with the wireless device, wherein the registrydatabase stores one or more records of one or more wireless identifiers;transmitting, by the access point, to the wireless device a promptconfigured to receive one or more data fields configured to captureregistration data, in response to determining the wireless identifier isnot associated with a record in the registry database; transmitting, bythe access point, to the wireless registry database the registrationdata received from the wireless device and the first SSID; converting,by the access point, the first public SSID to a first ADSS, wherein theaccess point conceals broadcasting the first public SSID; andbroadcasting, by the access point, a second public SSID associated withthe access point.

In another embodiment, a computer-implemented method comprisingreceiving, by a computer communicatively coupled to a registry database,from a first wireless access point a query containing a wirelessidentifier, wherein the registry database stores one or more records ofone or more wireless identifiers; transmitting, by the computer, to thewireless access point a new identifier indicating the wirelessidentifier is not associated with a record in the wireless registry;receiving, by the computer, from the wireless access point registrationdata associated with the wireless identifier and a first SSID;generating, by the computer, a new record for the wireless identifier inthe registry database containing the wireless identifier, theregistration data, the first SSID, and a level of service indicator;receiving, by the computer, from a second access point a second querycontaining the wireless identifier; and transmitting, by the computer,to the second access point the first SSID stored in the record of thewireless identifier.

Numerous other aspects, features and benefits of the present disclosuremay be made apparent from the following detailed description takentogether with the drawing figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure can be better understood by referring to thefollowing figures. The components in the figures are not necessarily toscale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles ofthe disclosure. In the figures, reference numerals designatecorresponding parts throughout the different views.

FIG. 1 is a system diagram for an ADSS network including multipleWireless Enabled Devices, according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a multi-region access point system, according to an embodiment

FIG. 3 is a flow chart for granting a WED access to an ADSS, accordingto an embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart for registering a device on a roaming system,according to an embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure is here described in detail with reference toembodiments illustrated in the drawings, which form a part here. Otherembodiments may be used and/or other changes may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. Theillustrative embodiments described in the detailed description are notmeant to be limiting of the subject matter presented here.

As used here, the following terms may have the following definitions:

“Registry” refers to any component in a system suitable for storing atleast one type of information about one or more other components of thesystem and/or one or more users of the system.

“Wireless Enabled Device”, or “WED” refers to any electronic device ableto communicate using one or more suitable wireless technologies.Suitable devices may include client devices in wireless networks, whichmay send out wireless probe signals in order to detect known AccessPoints. These may be part of one or more suitable wireless technologies,including Wi-Fi, amongst many others.

“Access Point” refers to any device capable of establishing a connectionbetween one or more suitable WEDs within a suitable spatial range andone or more suitable networks.

“Virtual” refers to having the properties of x while not being x. Forexample, a virtual access point may be an artificial or simulated accesspoint that may be perceived as real by one or more suitable WEDs.

“Service Set Identifier”, or “SSID” refers to any identifier suitablefor allowing the identification of a wireless network.

“Authorized Device Specific SSID”, or “ADSS” refers to any SSIDassociated with at least one WED authorized for use as a virtual accesspoint.

“Action” refers to any activity able to alter the network experienceperceived by a WED or a user of a WED.

“Access Point Manager” refers to any component in a system able tocoordinate actions taken by one or more access points.

“Region” refers to one or more defined geographic area belonging to agroup of defined geographic areas.

The present disclosure describes wireless network management systems andmethods that may include the use of suitable combinations of AuthorizedDevice Specific SSIDs, Access Point Managers, Registries, and WirelessEnabled Devices (WEDs) for providing a roaming service. Embodiments mayinclude access points that may establish connections with wirelessenabled devices (WEDs) using suitable SSIDs and credentials, where WEDsmay attempt to automatically connect to access points broadcastingsuitable SSIDs when in range.

Although the embodiments described herein make reference to Wi-Fi(802.11) communication protocols and information exchanges, it should beappreciated that in other embodiments any wireless communicationtechnology (i.e., hardware, software, and protocols) may be implemented.The access point may use a wireless signal or technology of any type,such as Bluetooth®, Wi-Fi, WiMax, SuperWiFi, LTE systems, LTE Direct,Wi-Fi Direct, or any other wireless signal or technology. Wirelesstechnologies involved in this applications may be any technology thatmay wirelessly transmit name strings and wirelessly transmit wirelessidentifiers of any kind (e.g., LTE Direct Expressions and LTE HardwareID, Universal Unique Identifier (UUID), SSID and MAC). A person havingordinary skill in the art would appreciate that the terms SSID and MAC,as used herein, may be understood as including other wirelesstechnologies (e.g., Bluetooth® names, LTE-Direct Expressions, etc.).

Access point hardware may be able to broadcast multiple SSIDs, whereeach SSID may be either publicly broadcast or may be hidden, and mayform one or more virtual access points (VAPs) perceivable by WEDs inrange of the access point. Suitable access point hardware may be able tobroadcast multiple SSIDs, where each SSID may be either publiclybroadcast or may be hidden. Multiple SSIDs being broadcast by one ormore access points may form one or more virtual access points (VAPs)perceivable by WEDs in range of the access point. If the SSID of the VAPand its associated credentials may match an SSID and credential pairpreviously stored by the WED, the WED may attempt to establish aconnection to the VAP.

Registries of use in systems described in the present disclosure mayinclude cloud based registries including information for one or moreWEDs, which may be identified using any suitable wireless identifier.Information stored in suitable registries may include MAC addresses ofone or more devices, one or more ADSSs associated with one or moredevices, credentials associated with one or more ADSSs, and personalinformation of users associated with one or more devices.

Systems described in the present disclosure may include a suitableaccess point manager, which may coordinate actions of one or more accesspoints and one or more registries.

In one or more embodiments of systems described in the presentdisclosure, multiple devices connected to an individual access point mayeach connect through an ADSS associated to each device, where each ADSSmay be unique to the device, and the device may perceive the ADSS as aVirtual Access Point (VAP).

Multi-region Access Point Systems described in the present disclosuremay include one or more access points associated with one or moreregions where a service may be provided, where the system may include asuitable connected to a suitable cloud through any suitable networkinfrastructure. In systems described here, the registry may communicatewith the one or more access points associated with the one or moreregions.

In one or more embodiments, access points in a multi-region access pointsystem may communicate with one or more wireless registries through acloud, and may provide connectivity to one or more registered WEDspresent in the region associated with the access point.

In systems described here, registration may occur through a publiclybroadcast SSID that has not been previously associated in a registry,where the SSID string may include a substring associated with thelocation of the access point and a substring associated withavailability in the registry. The registration process may occur when auser initiates a communication request between the WED and the AccessPoint through the WED. The access point may use a wireless identifierincluded in the signal transmitted to the access point by the WED to runa query in a wireless registry. If the WED is not registered, theregistration process may continue. Otherwise, the system may takeactions to provide the WED with a service associated with it in theregistry.

In one or more embodiments, having is able to avoid assigning duplicateSSID values to a plurality of WEDs by publicly broadcasting only SSID'sit is able to ensure have not been previously associated with a WED.

After registration, the registry may associate the SSID with the WED andrecord it as an ADSS. The access point may then hide the SSID andprovide the WED with service. The system may then broadcast a new publicSSID so another WED may undergo a registration process.

In systems described here, access points in a multi-region access pointsystem may automatically transmit an ADSS signal associated with a WEDwhen the access points detect a probe from the WED that has beenpreviously registered in the system.

Authorized Device Specific SSID (ADSS) Networking

Networking Using Service Set Identifiers (SSIDs)

Establishing Connections Using SSIDs

Access Points may establish connections with Wireless Enabled Devices(WEDs) using suitable SSIDs, where SSIDs may require the use of asuitable credential, such as a key or password, to establish aconnection with the Access Point. In some embodiments, the credentialsmay be associated with a private network, such as home or officenetworks. WEDs may store any suitable number of SSIDs in order toestablish connections with previously accessed access points, and mayattempt to connect to access points broadcasting these SSIDsautomatically when in range.

Access Points and Virtual SSIDs

Suitable access point hardware may be able to broadcast multiple SSIDs,where each SSID may be either publicly broadcast or may be hidden.Multiple SSIDs being broadcast by one or more access points may form oneor more Virtual Access Points (VAPs) perceivable by WEDs in range of theaccess point. If the SSID of the VAP and its associated credentials maymatch an SSID and credential pair previously stored by the WED, the WEDmay attempt to establish a connection to the VAP.

Access Points may also detect wireless signals emitted by suitable WEDsin range of the Access Point, including probe requests. The Access Pointmay listen for suitable wireless signals and take a range of actionsbased on the signals detected. Suitable wireless signals may includeinformation about the WED emitting them, including Wireless identifiers.Suitable wireless identifiers included in suitable wireless signals mayinclude wireless MAC addresses, amongst other identifiers. The AccessPoint may detect suitable wireless signals and take one or more actionswithout having established a connection with the WED, having establisheda connection before detecting suitable wireless signals, havingestablished a connection after detecting suitable wireless signals, orany suitable combination. Other wireless signals from the WED may alsobe detected by the Access Point and may be used to take one or moreactions, or may be used to determine what actions to take.

System Framework

FIG. 1 shows multiple device management system 100, having registry 102,access point manager 104, access point 106, first device 108, seconddevice 110, and xth device 112.

In one or more embodiments of multiple device management system 100,registry 102 may be a cloud based registry including information for oneor more WEDs, where individual WEDs may be identified using any suitablewireless identifier, where suitable wireless identifiers may include MACaddresses, amongst others. Information stored in registry 102 mayinclude MAC addresses of one or more devices, one or more ADSSsassociated with one or more devices, credentials associated with one ormore ADSSs, and personal information of users associated with one ormore devices. Registry 102 can be a compilation of records stored on aserver, a database, a database associated with a server, or any othercomputer-readable medium. In the exemplary embodiment, each record isassociated with an individual WED.

In one or more embodiments of multiple device management system 100,access point manager 104 may be a component able to communicate withregistry 102 and access point 106. Access point manager 104 maycoordinate actions of a plurality of access points 106 or a plurality ofregistries 102. Access point manager 104 can be a server communicativelycoupled to the registry 102. Alternatively, the access point manager 104can be computer program instructions installed and configured to beexecuted on the access point 106. Access point 106 can be a router,switch, server, or any other computer hardware configured to broadcastwireless communication signals.

In one or more embodiments, access point manager 104 may be a componentwithin access point 106. In one or more other embodiments, access pointmanager 104 may be included in a device with one or more other suitablecomponents, including registry 102 amongst others.

In one or more embodiments of multiple device management system 100,access point 106 may broadcast a first SSID, through which a firstdevice 108 may establish a connection to a network. Access point 106 mayalso broadcast a second SSID, through which a second device 110 mayestablish a connection to a network. Access point 106 may broadcastadditional SSIDs, where nth SSID through which xth device 112 mayestablish a connection to a network. The number of SSIDs access point106 may broadcast may be related to the number of users connecting to asystem, the hardware capacity of access point 106, arbitrary limitsestablished by registry 102 or access point manager 104, or any suitablelimiter or requirement.

FIG. 2 shows Multi-region Access Point System 200, including WirelessRegistry 202, Cloud 204, First Region Access Point 206, Second RegionAccess Point 208, and Third Region Access Point 210.

In one or more embodiments, Multi-region Access Point System 200includes a wireless registry 202, where the wireless registry isconnected to a suitable cloud 204 through any suitable networkinfrastructure. Suitable network infrastructures may include intranets,local area networks (LAN), virtual private networks (VPN), wireless areanetworks (WAN) and the world wide web, amongst others. The wirelessregistry may communicate with one or more access points associated witha region, including First Region Access Points 206, Second Region AccessPoint 208, and Third Region Access Point 210. In one or moreembodiments, a Multi-region Access Point System may include any suitablenumber of regions, where each region may include any suitable number ofaccess points associated with that region.

In one or more embodiments, access points in a multi-region access pointsystem may communicate with one or more wireless registries through acloud, and may provide connectivity to one or more registered WEDspresent in the region associated with the access point.

FIG. 3 shows WED Registration Process 300.

The process may Start 302 when AP Broadcasts Public SSID's 304. In thisstep, an access point publicly broadcasts an SSID, which has not beenpreviously associated in a registry, so that it may be detected by WED'swith relative ease. In one or more embodiments, the publicly broadcastSSID may include a string associated with the location of the accesspoint, and a string associated with an available instance of the SSID inthe registry. In one or more embodiments, the string associated with thelocation of the access point may include the name of the establishmentthe access point is located in, one or more brands associated with theestablishment the access point is located in, a string associated with aservice provider, a string marketing a product, or any other suitablestring. In one or more embodiments, the next available instance of thestring in the wireless registry may be represented by an alphanumericcombination, for example establishment_001, establishment_002,establishment a, establishment b, establishment a1, establishment a2, orany other suitable combination.

The process may continue with WED Detects Public SSID's 306. In thisstep, a WED detects a publicly transmitted SSID. In one or moreembodiments, the WED may detect the Public SSID without interacting witha user. In other embodiments, the WED may detect the public SSID whenprompted to perform a scan by the user.

The process may then continue when a User Initiates Connection to AP308. In this step, a WED may present a user with one or more promptsthat may allow the user to initiate a connection with an access point.In one or more embodiments, the WED may then send a connection requestto the access point through a suitable wireless signal, where the signalmay include information about the WED, the user, or a suitablecombination.

The process may then continue when an Access Point Identifies WED &Queries Wireless Registry 310. In this step, an access point may processa WED's request to connect and may process information that may identifythe WED or the user. In one or more embodiments, the information used toidentify the WED or the user may include a suitable wireless identifierincluded in the signal, such as a MAC address. The access point may thenquery a wireless registry for information associated with the wirelessidentifier, where the wireless registry may determine if the identifierand one or more records in the registry Match 312.

If a matching record is found, the Access Point Takes Actions to ProvideService to the WED 314. In this step, the Access Point may take suitableactions to provide a connection service to the WED, as determined by anaccess point manager. In one or more embodiments, the access point maythen send a request to associate the broadcast SSID with the WED, andregistering it as an ADSS associated with the WED in the registry beforehiding the SSID transmission. In other embodiments, the access point mayinstead begin broadcasting a hidden SSID associated with the WED and maystop broadcasting the public SSID while the WED connects with the ADSS.

If a matching record is not found, the WED is Registered in the System316. In this step, the access point may prompt the WED to display one ormore prompts to the user to being a registration process so the SSID maybe associated with the WED. In one or more embodiments, the prompt maybe a website displayed when the user attempts to browse the internetafter connecting to the AP. In other embodiments, one or more wirelessconnection managers on the WED may be able to prompt the user when theconnection is initiated. The WED may then prompt the user to accept anynumber of suitable terms associated with the service, and if the useraccepts the terms of service the SSID may be associated with the WED asan ADSS in the registry.

After registration, the process continues when the Access Point hidesADSS 318. In this step, the access point may take any necessary actionsto sufficiently hide the newly associated ADSS associated with theuser's WED from other WED that may be within range of the access point.In one or more embodiments, the ADSS may be sufficiently hidden when oneor more wireless connection managers may not display the ADSS as beingbroadcast.

The process may continue when the AP performs Actions Associated withthe ADSS 320. In this step, the access point may perform any actionsassociated with providing a desired level of service to the user of theWED. In one or more embodiments, actions may include granting internetaccess, tracking bandwidth usage, and setting up connection usagepolicies, amongst others.

The process may continue when the AP Broadcasts New Public SSID's 322.In this step, the access point may begin to broadcast a new publiclybroadcast SSID that has not been previously associated with a WED, sothat another WED may undergo a WED Registration Process 300, and theprocess may then End 324.

FIG. 4 shows Automatic ADSS Transmission Process 400.

Automatic ADSS Transmission Process 400 may Start 402 when AP DetectsWED Probe 404. In this step, an access point detects a WED when thedevice transmits a wireless probe while in range of the access point,where the wireless probe includes one or more wireless identifiersassociated with the WED. In one or more embodiments, suitable probes mayinclude WiFi probes, Bluetooth probes, LTE Probes, and RF probes,amongst others.

The process may continue when AP Queries Wireless Registry for ID 406.In this step, the access point may query a wireless registry forinformation associated with the wireless identifier, where the wirelessregistry may determine if one or more identifiers and one or morerecords in the registry Match 408.

If the wireless identifier matches a record in the wireless registry,the process may continue as AP Transmits ADSS Signal 410. In this step,the wireless registry returns one or more ADSS's associated with the WEDand the access point proceeds to transmit a signal making the ADSSavailable for the WED to connect. In one or more embodiments, the signalis hidden sufficiently so as not to be displayed when one or morewireless connection managers search for available SSID's.

The process may continue when WED Detects ADSS 412. In this step, thewireless enabled device in range of the access point broadcasting theassociated ADSS detects the ADSS signal.

The process may continue when WED Connects to ADSS 414. In this step,the wireless enabled device in range of the access point broadcastingthe associated ADSS connects to the network through the ADSS withoutprompting the user for any action and the process may End 416.

Alternatively, if the wireless identifier does not match a record in thewireless registry, the process may End 416.

Example #1

In this example, a wireless registry database in a first region is innetworked-communication with multiple access points in the first regionand multiple access points in a second region. A user comes in range ofa first access point broadcasting a public SSID in the first region, andthen the user uses a WED to initiate communication between the WED andthe first access point broadcasting the SSID. The access point thencommunicates with a wireless registry and determines the WED has notpreviously been enrolled in the registry. The connection is successful,and when the user attempts to browse the internet the user is shown aprompt to register to the roaming service. The WED presents the termsand conditions of the service to the user, and the user accepts. Theaccess point sends a request to include the WED and SSID combination inthe wireless registry, and wireless registry associates the WED's MACaddress (or other wireless identifier) with a level of service and theSSID in a database record of the WED. The access point then hides theSSID, which is now considered an ADSS associated with the WED, and theWED is granted internet access. The access point then broadcasts a newpublic SSID in order to be ready to provide other WED's with theservice.

The user then leaves the first region, and travels to the second region.The user's WED may periodically transmit wireless probe signals whichinclude the WED's MAC address, and as the WED comes into range of asecond access point in the second region the second access point detectsthe WED's presence from the probe. The second access point then uses thewireless identifier in the probe to query the wireless registry, and thewireless registry returns a match. The registry then returns the ADSSassociated with the WED to the second access point, and the access pointbegins transmitting the ADSS without broadcasting publicly. The WED thendetects the ADSS transmission and automatically connects to the accesspoint through the ADSS, and is granted internet access by the accesspoint. In this example, the terms and conditions include a surcharge forroaming, and the user's account is charged for the internet access.

While various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed, other aspectsand embodiments are contemplated. The various aspects and embodimentsdisclosed are for purposes of illustration and are not intended to belimiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicated by thefollowing claims.

The exemplary embodiments can include one or more computer programs thatembody the functions described herein and illustrated in the appendeddiagrams. However, it should be apparent that there could be manydifferent ways of implementing aspects of the exemplary embodiments incomputer programming, and these aspects should not be construed aslimited to one set of computer instructions. Further, those skilled inthe art will appreciate that one or more acts described herein may beperformed by hardware, software, or a combination thereof, as may beembodied in one or more computing systems.

The functionality described herein can be implemented by numerousmodules or components that can perform one or multiple functions. Eachmodule or component can be executed by a computer, such as a server,having a non-transitory computer-readable medium and processor. In onealternative, multiple computers may be necessary to implement thefunctionality of one module or component.

Unless specifically stated otherwise as apparent from the followingdiscussion, it is appreciated that throughout the description,discussions utilizing terms such as “detecting” or “connecting” or“sending” or “determining” or the like, can refer to the action andprocesses of a data processing system, or similar electronic device,that manipulates and transforms data represented as physical(electronic) quantities within the system's registers and memories intoother data similarly represented as physical quantities within thesystem's memories or registers or other such information storage,transmission or display devices.

The exemplary embodiments can relate to an apparatus for performing oneor more of the functions described herein. This apparatus may bespecially constructed for the required purposes, or it may comprise ageneral purpose computer selectively activated or reconfigured by acomputer program stored in the computer. Such a computer program may bestored in a machine (e.g. computer) readable storage medium, such as,but is not limited to, any type of disk including floppy disks, opticaldisks, CD-ROMs and magnetic-optical disks, read only memories (ROMs),random access memories (RAMs) erasable programmable ROMs (EPROMs),electrically erasable programmable ROMs (EEPROMs), magnetic or opticalcards, or any type of media suitable for storing electronicinstructions, and each coupled to a bus.

The exemplary embodiments described herein are described as softwareexecuted on at least one server, though it is understood thatembodiments can be configured in other ways and retain functionality.The embodiments can be implemented on known devices such as a personalcomputer, a special purpose computer, cellular telephone, personaldigital assistant (“PDA”), a digital camera, a digital tablet, anelectronic gaming system, a programmed microprocessor or microcontrollerand peripheral integrated circuit element(s), and ASIC or otherintegrated circuit, a digital signal processor, a hard-wired electronicor logic circuit such as a discrete element circuit, a programmablelogic device such as a PLD, PLA, FPGA, PAL, or the like. In general, anydevice capable of implementing the processes described herein can beused to implement the systems and techniques according to thisinvention.

It is to be appreciated that the various components of the technologycan be located at distant portions of a distributed network and/or theInternet, or within a dedicated secure, unsecured and/or encryptedsystem. Thus, it should be appreciated that the components of the systemcan be combined into one or more devices or co-located on a particularnode of a distributed network, such as a telecommunications network. Aswill be appreciated from the description, and for reasons ofcomputational efficiency, the components of the system can be arrangedat any location within a distributed network without affecting theoperation of the system. Moreover, the components could be embedded in adedicated machine.

Furthermore, it should be appreciated that the various links connectingthe elements can be wired or wireless links, or any combination thereof,or any other known or later developed element(s) that is capable ofsupplying and/or communicating data to and from the connected elements.The term module as used herein can refer to any known or later developedhardware, software, firmware, or combination thereof that is capable ofperforming the functionality associated with that element. The termsdetermine, calculate and compute, and variations thereof, as used hereinare used interchangeably and include any type of methodology, process,mathematical operation or technique.

The embodiments described above are intended to be exemplary. Oneskilled in the art recognizes that numerous alternative components andembodiments that may be substituted for the particular examplesdescribed herein and still fall within the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method comprising:broadcasting, by a wireless access point, a wireless signal containing afirst public service set identifier (SSID) associated with the accesspoint; receiving, by the access point, a connection request from awireless device, the connection request containing a wireless identifierassociated with the wireless device; querying, by the access point, aregistry database using the wireless identifier associated with thewireless device, wherein the registry database stores one or morerecords of one or more wireless identifiers; transmitting, by the accesspoint, to the wireless device a prompt configured to receive one or moredata fields configured to capture registration data, in response todetermining the wireless identifier is not associated with a record inthe registry database; transmitting, by the access point, to thewireless registry database the registration data received from thewireless device and the first SSID; converting, by the access point, thefirst public SSID to a first Authorized Device Specific SSID (ADSS)associated with, the wireless device, wherein the access point concealsbroadcasting the first public SSID; and broadcasting, by the accesspoint, a second public SSID associated with the access point, where thesecond public SSID is a new publicly broadcast SSID that has not beenpreviously associated with any wireless device in the registry database.2. A computer-implemented method comprising: receiving, by a computercommunicatively coupled to a registry database and from a first wirelessaccess point, a query containing a wireless identifier of a wirelessenabled device, wherein the registry database stores one or more recordsof one or more wireless identifiers; transmitting, by the computer andto the first wireless access point, a new identifier indicating thewireless identifier is not associated with a record in the wirelessregistry; receiving, by the computer and from the first wireless accesspoint, registration data associated with the wireless identifier and afirst service set identifier (SSID) to be associated with the wirelessidentifier; generating, by the computer, a record for the wirelessidentifier in the registry database containing the wireless identifier,the registration data, the first SSID, a first Authorized DeviceSpecific SSID (ADSS) based upon the first SSID, and a level of serviceindicator; receiving, by the computer and from a second access point, asecond query containing the wireless identifier, the second access pointbeing different from the first wireless access point; and transmitting,by the computer, to the second access point the first ADSS stored in therecord of the wireless identifier.